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There are a lot controversies surrounding Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Let’s take a look at five major ones and discuss them.
Assassin’s Creed is one of the biggest franchises in the gaming world with games like Assassin’s Creed II, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, and more. However, Ubisoft is facing some trouble regarding the latest installment of the series. Assassin’s Creed Shadows is based on feudal Japan during the Azuchi-Momoyama period. The game faces many allegations—such as historical inaccuracies, a controversial release date, and many more.
In this article, we have listed five major controversies with Assassin’s Creed Shadows before launch.
1) Historically Inaccurate
Assassin’s Creed games are fiction based on historically accurate timelines. However, the way Ubisoft introduced Yasuke to the plot of the game raises many questions. There is not much evidence about Yasuke being a samurai under Lord Nobunaga. Moreover, Naoe being a female shinobi also raises the eyebrows of many.
According to the Humanities and Social Sciences Research Department of Mie University, Japan, female ninjas are purely fiction. Although the game is meant to be a work of fiction, some of the inaccuracies angered a lot of Japanese players, and Ubisoft got caught in the midst of the controversies.
Read more: Is Assassin’s Creed Shadows Deluxe Edition Worth Buying?
2) Shrine Destruction
Everybody likes a destructible environment because it gives an immersive experience to players. But when it comes to Assassin’s Creed Shadows, this mechanic caused big trouble for the studio. In a gameplay footage, the destruction of Itate Hyozu Shrine can be seen. This footage caused a major outrage, and the shrine officials stated they would ‘take appropriate action.’ The game is already facing many allegations, and the destruction of a religious site just fueled the fire.
3) Female Sumo
There are a bunch of side characters in Shadows who help the main protagonists in various ways. However, there is one character that sparked some issues regarding Japanese culture. Yaya is a side character who resembles the look of a sumo wrestler. The developers said that she is a sohei, a monk-warrior, which is a great characteristic.
However, this character has an ability called Rikishi, which directly translates to a strong man or powerful warrior. This term is used to define a sumo wrestler. According to Japanese traditions, a woman cannot become a sumo wrestler, and all of this combined created a new mess for Ubisoft.
Also read: Why Assassin’s Creed Shadows Might Be Make-Or-Break For Ubisoft
4) Using a Non-Commercial Flag
If this was not enough, Ubisoft made another blunder by using a non-commercial flag from the Sengoku period. The flag is used by the Sekigahara Teppo-tai, a re-enactment group that performs at festivals and other events, and the flag is not for commercial use. Ubisoft apologized after the outrage, but the damage was done, and now Japanese fans and critics are very upset. This game is already surrounded by many controversies, and each one of them just makes the situation worse.
5) A Bad Release Date
Assassin’s Creed Shadows was planned to be released on November 12, 2024, but the studio delayed the release for some reason. After that, the studio shifted the release date from February 14, 2025, to March 20, 2025. It is always a good thing when a studio delays the release to polish the game. However, the date March 20 holds a very tragic incident related to Japan.
On March 20, 1995, the Aum Shinrikyo cult released sarin nerve gas into the Tokyo subway system. This attack killed 13 people and injured over 5,000 residents. Releasing a game on the same day as the Tokyo subway sarin attack made the Japanese people more angry than ever.
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